Follow Us

More

Superman TV Show Prequel Krypton Getting Pilot Order at Syfy

The success of DC's auperhero TV slate has not gone unnoticed over the past year: from solid crossover ratings to the chatter of dedicated fan bases on social media on weeknights, DC's reach across several networks has proven consistent without the help of the comic powerhouse's superheroes (see Arrow, The Flash) - and following the debut of Supergirl season 1 on CBS, projects with that big red symbol of hope are beginning to look much more tantalizing to TV networks.

Case in point: Syfy is in the process of ordering the pilot for David Goyer's Krypton. The series has slogged through development for some time with no home and new rewrites, but Goyer's vision of the House of El two generations before Superman has finally found a chance at life, after sporadic updates (and months of silence).

Deadline reports that Syfy is finalizing a deal for a series pilot order, with Sleepy Hollow's Damian Kindler coming on board as executive producer and show runner. Colm McCarthy, who helmed Peaky Blinders, is set to direct the pilot episode. With characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the production is moving forward thanks to a special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family. Set two generations before Superman arrives on Earth, Krypton will focus on Superman's grandfather during a time when the great House of El was "ostracized and shamed" on his home planet. The hero of the story must fight to redeem his family's honor and save his world from a yet unknown new enemy.

Kindler and Goyer are currently working on rewrites of the original pilot screenplay that Goyer penned alongside Ian Goldberg. Goyer is one of the highest-profile writers in the WB/DC pool, his most recent script - Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (which Goyer co-wrote with Chris Terrio) - effectively pivoting WB's DC Extended Universe in the direction of a massive Justice League team-up. Krypton will launch under Goyer's own Phantom Four production banner, and the series marks Kindler's first return to Syfy since his last major venture, Sanctuary. Goyer's other recent ventures include The Birth of a Nation, a smash-hit out of this past year's Sundance festival that Goyer co-produced.

The longevity and success of the WB/CW series Smallville, coupled with Supergirl's time airing on CBS, has shown that teasing the story of Superman on the small-screen can do wonders when it comes to introducing news fans to the Man of Steel by expanding his universe into something more broad than even he is. But with so many stories circulating around the House of El and its descendants, it is hard not to wonder when we'll see Superman in a larger capacity than that of a shadow (or the text in Kara's chat window) on the small screen.

We’ll bring you more information on Krypton when it becomes available.